Potassium Metabisulfite Dosage to Minimize Oxidation

[Todd Peterson]

Good evening folks. I hope you all are on the front end of a great weekend.

I am curious if any of you dose your mead with K Meta as you are working on your must (racking and or bottling) to minimize the impact of oxidation.

I currently use K Meta in combination with K Sorbate for stabilization. I have recently heard mead makers that utilize K Mets to protect against oxidation. Some of the folks have equipment to test for free sulfites.

I’d love to hear from you folks with more experience if this is a practice that you use. If so, what is the dosage ratio?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Todd Peterson

 

[Maylar]

You really should use K-Meta and K-Sorbate together for stabilization. Otherwise you risk getting a wine fault called geraniol. If you can't test for free sulfites then the standard dose is 1/4 TSP for 5 gallons. For smaller batches use 1 Campden tablet per gallon. If you're bottling in less than 3 months from stabilizing you don't need any more. If I bottle after months of aging I'll use a half-dose.

 

[Todd Peterson]

Thanks Maylar. I appreciate the feedback. I stabilize with both k Meta and k Sorbate to avoid the issue that you referenced.

I was trying to guage how often folks use additional k Meta at racking or transfer to fight against oxidation.

I had an auto siphon issue recently while racking that I am sure introduced a lot of oxygen into a 6 month old mead. Needless to say, I’m done with Soto siphons. I was racking to the vessel for stabilization. I increased the k meta dosage out of fear that I was going to turn this mess into cardboard. Time will tell if this was a smart move or not I suppose.

Todd Peterson

 

[bushpilot]

I had an auto siphon issue recently while racking that I am sure introduced a lot of oxygen into a 6 month old mead. Needless to say, I’m done with Soto siphons. I was racking to the vessel for stabilization. I increased the k meta dosage out of fear that I was going to turn this mess into cardboard. Time will tell if this was a smart move or not I suppose.

Todd Peterson

I think increasing the k-meta was the right move.